


Old habits die hard

by Flower1815



Series: Man, let's talk soon [2]
Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, References to Depression, Starvation, Tord is dramatic but he cares, angst but only if you squint hard enough, nothing too serious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:27:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29093490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flower1815/pseuds/Flower1815
Summary: Despite his best efforts of improving Tom can't help but fall back on some bad tendencies. Good thing Tord is there to knock some sense into him.Takes place between chapters 31 and 32 of My little test subject!
Relationships: Tom/Tord (Eddsworld)
Series: Man, let's talk soon [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2134512
Comments: 1
Kudos: 53





	Old habits die hard

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, what is up you guys? This is Flower1815 here bringing you a surprise! A nice little one-shot of sorts that didn't quite make the cut in the story "My little test subject" but I loved it so much I decided to publish it anyway. If you stumbled upon this first then I highly recommend you check out the main story in order to understand the full context of this tidbit. Next week, heads up, will be a double update by the way. Sort of. What exactly do I mean by that and why am I being so mysterious about this? Well you're gonna have to come back next saturday and find out.
> 
> But that's it guys, I hope you enjoy this little appetizer of sorts while you wait for the next update of MLTS! Don't forget to leave a review telling me your thoughts,and I'll see ya all later! ;)

Tom was fast asleep in bed, curled up on his side with one arm around his dear Tomee bear until he was nudged awake by someone. At first, Tom ignored it; hoping whoever it was would give up and leave him be. But they were persistent. Blinking open his eyes blearily, Tom could see though the dim lighting coming from the hallway outside his quarters the silhouette of a pair of horns leaning over him.

“Commie?” Tom yawned, instantly recognizing who it was. “What is it?”

Rather than answering his question, Tord simply stepped back and gestured for him to follow. “Come.” Tom couldn’t read his expression in the dark, but his voice sounded stern albeit a little soft.

“Why? What time is it?”

Tom looked over the radio on his nightstand only to realize it was half past two in the morning. Why would Tord wake him up at this hour for?

“Just come with me, please.” Tord beckoned him.

Curious but still very sleepy, Tom trudged after Tord obediently. It’s not like Tord to wake him up in the dead of the night for anything. Maybe he figured out something about the serum and wanted to experiment on him? But even then… why not wait until morning? Tom was dead tired, and he could hardly keep his eyes open as he fell in step with Tord. The hallway lights were too bright for him.

Even so he could still recognize the way they were treading as Tord led him to the familiar wooden door in the facility. _Patrick’s study?_ Tom thought drowsily. _Why did he bring me here?_

His confusion only grew as they crossed the dark room; giving Tom the chance to properly rub the sleep away from his eyes as they reached the kitchen area of the General’s shared quarters with Paul. Tord flipped on the light, nearly blinding Tom in the process just as he was getting used to keep his eyes open for more than five seconds at a time.

Tom blinked away the harsh glare of the light as he gradually adapted. “What are we doing here?” He asked.

Opening the fridge, Tord glanced back at him. “What would you prefer? An omelette or perhaps a grilled cheese?” He offered.

Tom snorted. “You seriously woke me up in the dead of the night and brought me all the way here for a midnight snack?”

“It’s not for me. It’s for you, Tom.” Tord met his gaze.

“I’m not hungry.”

“Oh? Well, I find that hard to believe… considering you haven’t eaten anything at all today.”

A long silence stretched between them. His unexpected words made Tom stiffen and he glanced away, an immediate sense of guilt flooding over him so strongly he wanted to get away and hide.

“You lied to us. You told Paul and Patrick you’d already eaten something before they came to bring in your meals.” Tord accused when Tom failed to explain himself. “Why are you trying to starve yourself all over again? You really think this is gonna help anything?”

“It’s not like that.” Tom muttered.

“Isn’t it?”

“Look, what’s the big deal? It’s just for a day. I won’t die if I go one day without eating anything. I have been through worse.” Tom reasoned, crossing his arms defensively. As he said that he could feel his stomach grumbling and cramping up with pain at being empty the whole day.

“That doesn’t mean you should!” Tord argued. “Now sit down while I make something for you. I will not let you go to bed hungry, Thomas. Do you understand?”

“You’re being irrational.”

Tord whipped around. “ _I_ am the irrational one here? I am not the one starving myself for no reason here. Sit. Down. That’s final.”

Unable to get another word in as Tord busied himself on the stove, Tom had no other choice but to obey. He huffed and stalked to the nearest seat, guilt gnawing away at him as he pulled back the chair and sat down.

He observed in silence as Tord expertly mixed the ingredients together and poured them on the sizzling pan, using the same precision and grace for tinkering to cook now. Tom’s enhanced sense of smell picked up all the precise items being used and he felt his mouth start to water. He _was_ hungry. But this whole situation still feels wrong, and the fact that Tord went out of his way to feed him made him feel awful.

A plate of omelette was placed in front of him, startling Tom out of his thoughts. The seat right next to him was pulled back and Tord sat down beside him.

“Eat.”

Just wanting to get this humiliating ordeal over with and get back to bed as soon as possible, Tom proceeded to chow down in silence. The first bite he takes was like heaven on earth. He’d forgotten how good Tord’s cooking is. Not nearly as great as Edd’s, but pretty high up there – not that Tom would ever admit to those things out loud, mind you. And Tord used the precise amount of pepper this time, thank God. For a moment he was worried that Tord would demand he eat an extremely spicy meal on purpose as a way to get back at him for bothering him.

 _I totally deserve the punishment if he did._ Tom thought darkly as he ate, his gaze fixed intently on his plate and nowhere else. He couldn’t bear to bring himself to look at Tord right now, knowing the Norwegian man was most likely annoyed with him and his dumb actions.

“Why?” Tord asked softly, breaking the awkward silence between them. “Why did you try starving yourself again?”

Tom nervously chewed his food, unsure how to answer.

“Is the voice bothering you?” Tord’s hand gently rests over his. “It’s okay. You can tell me anything.”

Pausing to swallow, Tom sighed and stared down at his plate. “It’s… not a big deal, really.” He began cautiously and lifted his gaze to meet Tord’s. “It’s just… earlier this morning when we were having breakfast together, Paul and Pat mentioned how busy their schedule is and how much they would enjoy a break. So I thought I would be helping them out if I stopped them from feeding me. It would be one less thing for them to care about. Just this once! At least a little bit. I didn’t mean to cause more trouble for you guys or… be a burden to you.”

Understanding dawned on Tord. Tom’s actions didn’t come from a place of self-loathing or even punishment. He just wanted to help them in the only way he knows how, and if it meant going a few hours without eating he was totally willing to go through with it. He’d done it so many times in the past it probably didn’t faze Tom now.

“I get it. You only meant well.” Tord murmured. “But starving yourself isn’t the answer, Tom.”

Tom chuckled a bitter laugh. “Cool motive, but still self-harm, huh?”

“Well… yeah, essentially.” Tord confessed with a small, shy grin. “But don’t use this to make you think that you are a burden, because you’re not.”

“But you had to go all the way to my quarters to fetch me here and make me food at nearly three in the morning!”

“So? I was already awake anyway, and not doing anything remotely important. Just tinkering away while procrastinating on paper work. This is a way better use of my time!” Tord reassured, ruffling Tom’s hair affectionately.

Actually he’d been on his way to the Test room to tinker when he ran into Paul and Patrick, getting ready to retire for the day, arguing about Tom. They were hesitant at first but when they told him their suspicions, Tord knew he had to do something at once. Even if it was in the dead of the night, he wasn’t about to let Tom go a whole day without eating anything.

“Don’t starve yourself for us again, okay? But should you feel hungry in the middle of the night I’ll be more than happy to treat you with another meal.”

“Hey! I can cook too, you know!” Tom protested half-heartedly.

Tord looked at him teasingly. “Sure, but... my food is better than yours.”

Tom punched him lightly on the shoulder and Tord chortled. “Oh really?! Because I seem to remember a certain someone gushing over my cooking when I made breakfast for us.”

“That was then, this is now.”

“Tord.”

The Norsk blinked. “Yes?”

Tom stared at him meaningfully for a few heartbeats before breaking into a small smile. “Thanks.”

At first Tord wanted to make a joke and tease him a little bit more, but seeing the genuine warmth and gratitude in the brit’s hollow eyes made him pause and reconsider. He dipped his head courteously. “Don’t mention it.”


End file.
